Word document copyright

[MisterURL]

I am an author, and I use Word as my primary writing tool. It is my
understanding that documents I create with Word are automatically
copyrighted, based on the Berne Convention. The fact that I have the file
saved with the creation date in Properties proves my ownership.

My questions are this. Has anyone had any experience with someone actually
using a Word document to establish authorship? And given that hackers are
everywhere, is the file creation information secure, so that it cannot be
modified?

Thanks.

 

[Ben M. Schorr - MVP (OneNote)]

My advice to you would be that if you have a document for which
establishing copyright is that important...you shouldn't rely merely
upon creation date to establish it.

Depending upon the value of the document you may want to do something
more formal. At the very least you might consider printing a copy and
mailing it to yourself via certified mail then keeping the unopened
envelope somewhere safe - in case you ever need it. It only costs a
couple of bucks and can help establish the date of creation.

If it's an especially valuable document then you probably want to
consult with an attorney in your area who is experienced with
intellectual property issues.

This is not legal advice and I'm not your attorney. It's just an
educated opinion.

--
-Ben-
Ben M. Schorr, MVP
Roland Schorr & Tower
http://www.rolandschorr.com
http://www.officeforlawyers.com
Author - The Lawyer's Guide to Microsoft Outlook 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/5m3f5q